Bangladesh parties sign landmark reform charter

Bangladesh parties sign 'July Charter' for state reform. (Photo/AFP)

Bangladesh's "July Charter" for state reform, drafted after last year's deadly student-led uprising, has been backed by the majority of political parties.

The charter seeks to reshape the country's politics and institutions and give constitutional recognition to the 2024 uprising that forced Sheikh Hasina, a long-time prime minister, to flee to India.

Muhammad Yunus, the head of Bangladesh's interim government, said on Friday that the signing of the charter marked a major step toward restoring political order and preparing for national elections scheduled for February 2026.

"It's the birth of a new Bangladesh," Yunus said at the ceremony.

'Urgent revision'

Among those signing the document on Friday were members of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party, the Jamaat-e-Islami party and several centrist and regional groups that have expressed support for the reform process.

The National Consensus Commission announced a last-minute amendment to the charter on Friday, describing it as an "urgent revision" made in response to the demands of those who took part in the 2024 uprising.

The UN human rights office's 114-page report estimates that up to 1,400 people were killed between July and August of last year, with 12 percent of them children, and more than 22,000 injured during the uprising against Hasina's government.

It recommended judicial and police reforms and urged authorities to drop charges against journalists, lawyers, trade unionists, civil society activists, and other human rights defenders.

The report also emphasised the need for a “fair, impartial, and comprehensive investigative process” and called for ensuring judicial independence and protecting the rights of journalists, Awami League supporters, minority leaders, and others engaged in civic or political dissent.

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Source: TRT